I apologize for belaboring this point, but several folks have contacted me off list to insist that Great Horned Owls do not hawk insects. -
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/jrr/v022n03/p00093-p00093.pdf <http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/jrr/v022n03/p00093-p00093.pdf>Best, Andrew Birch Blackwater Lake - near Hackensack, MN -- MNLEP <http://groups.google.com/group/mnlep> - A list for Butterfly Enthusiasts in Minnesota -- Blackwater Birds <http://blackwaterbirder.blogspot.com/> - My personal birding / nature blog -- "Birding is something that we do for enjoyment; so if you enjoy it, you're a good birder. If you enjoy it a lot, you're a great birder." - Kenn Kaufman On Sun, Jun 5, 2011 at 7:16 PM, Andrew Birch <andrewlbi...@gmail.com> wrote: > http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/jrr/v022n03/p00093-p00093.pdf > > <http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/jrr/v022n03/p00093-p00093.pdf> > http://books.google.com/books?id=f1PVJVWbQKwC&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=great+horned+owls+hawking+insects&source=bl&ots=O44xW0LAoT&sig=afH_RHd1bPqpNAStbxe1qm-5eds&hl=en&ei=kRvsTanMC-rq0gH7yICQAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=great%20horned%20owls%20hawking%20insects&f=false > > > <http://books.google.com/books?id=f1PVJVWbQKwC&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=great+horned+owls+hawking+insects&source=bl&ots=O44xW0LAoT&sig=afH_RHd1bPqpNAStbxe1qm-5eds&hl=en&ei=kRvsTanMC-rq0gH7yICQAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=great%20horned%20owls%20hawking%20insects&f=false> > Andrew Birch > Blackwater Lake - near Hackensack, MN > -- > MNLEP <http://groups.google.com/group/mnlep> - A list for Butterfly > Enthusiasts in Minnesota > -- > Blackwater Birds <http://blackwaterbirder.blogspot.com/> - My personal > birding / nature blog > -- > "Birding is something that we do for enjoyment; so if you enjoy it, you're > a good birder. If you enjoy it a lot, you're a great birder." - Kenn Kaufman > > > > > > > On Sun, Jun 5, 2011 at 7:12 PM, Andrew Birch <andrewlbi...@gmail.com>wrote: > >> Katherine - it may have been bats as I have been informed by others. >> >> Thanks, >> >> Andrew Birch >> Blackwater Lake - near Hackensack, MN >> -- >> MNLEP <http://groups.google.com/group/mnlep> - A list for Butterfly >> Enthusiasts in Minnesota >> -- >> Blackwater Birds <http://blackwaterbirder.blogspot.com/> - My personal >> birding / nature blog >> >> -- >> "Birding is something that we do for enjoyment; so if you enjoy it, you're >> a good birder. If you enjoy it a lot, you're a great birder." - Kenn Kaufman >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On Sun, Jun 5, 2011 at 12:18 PM, Katherine Kottke <k...@comcast.net>wrote: >> >>> Great Horned owl hawking insects .... not possible . >>> >>> On Jun 5, 2011, at 12:07 PM, Andrew Birch wrote: >>> >>> Dear Linda, >>>> >>>> I am sorry I was not clear, but it was a not a Night Hawk. It was an >>>> owl - >>>> I assumed it was a Great-horned Owl but could not get any field marks >>>> that >>>> could definitively eliminate Barred - other than the shear unlikeliness >>>> that >>>> it was a barred. I certainly wouldn't confuse a nighthawk with an owl - >>>> the >>>> parking lot lights allowed me to see. >>>> >>>> 1. This bird had rounded wings >>>> 2. This bird was hawking prey from a perch >>>> 3. This bird had pale under-wings - I would have clearly seen the >>>> wing-bar >>>> if it were a night hawk. >>>> >>>> After posting this I was even able to share the sighting with two other >>>> non-birding coworkers (at about 12:15am) and they could tell by the way >>>> the >>>> bird flew and it's short fat head that it was an owl. After seeing it a >>>> second time I was also quite convinced that it was in fact a >>>> Great-horned >>>> Owl. >>>> >>>> If anyone else is interested in trying to observe this behavior it was >>>> hunting in the cell tower next to the Pequot Lakes High School. >>>> >>>> Best, >>>> >>>> Andrew Birch >>>> Blackwater Lake - near Hackensack, MN >>>> -- >>>> MNLEP <http://groups.google.com/group/mnlep> - A list for Butterfly >>>> Enthusiasts in Minnesota >>>> -- >>>> Blackwater Birds <http://blackwaterbirder.blogspot.com/> - My personal >>>> birding / nature blog >>>> -- >>>> "Birding is something that we do for enjoyment; so if you enjoy it, >>>> you're a >>>> good birder. If you enjoy it a lot, you're a great birder." - Kenn >>>> Kaufman >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Sat, Jun 4, 2011 at 7:44 AM, linda whyte <bi...@moosewoods.us> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>> Since you couldn't see it, could this bird have been a Nighthawk >>>>> instead? (You didn't mention its size at all, but I know nighthawks >>>>> have returned to the metro area, and I've seen them hunting that way >>>>> around light sources elsewhere.) >>>>> Linda >>>>> >>>>> On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 11:15 PM, Andrew Birch <andrewlbi...@gmail.com> >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Tonight at 10:15pm while standing outside my workplace in Pequot Lakes >>>>>> a >>>>>> large owl caught my eye as it hurled it self off of the cell phone >>>>>> tower >>>>>> >>>>> in >>>>> >>>>>> our parking lot, caught a prey item , and then returned to perch again >>>>>> on >>>>>> the cross bars of the cell tower. I was able to watch the owl hawking >>>>>> >>>>> prey >>>>> >>>>>> four times. The owl was hunting in this way between the top and >>>>>> second >>>>>> highest flashing red lights. I would guess the height to be 75-150'. >>>>>> >>>>> While >>>>> >>>>>> I had heard of owls hawking insects I have never seen the behavior >>>>>> >>>>> firsthand >>>>> >>>>>> and I was not aware that they would use a cell tower especially at >>>>>> that >>>>>> height to aid in their hunting. >>>>>> >>>>>> I assume it was hawking large moths and other insects but for the >>>>>> dignity >>>>>> >>>>> of >>>>> >>>>>> the owl I hope it was not hunting those disgusting June Beetles : ) >>>>>> >>>>>> As to the identification of the owl - I cannot say definitively. I >>>>>> was >>>>>> never able to see the bird through my binoculars and the distance was >>>>>> too >>>>>> great to see field marks with the naked eye as it perched . Oh yeah, >>>>>> and >>>>>> >>>>> it >>>>> >>>>>> was dark - the owl was being lit only by the parking lot lights well >>>>>> >>>>> below >>>>> >>>>>> it. >>>>>> >>>>>> Best work break ever! >>>>>> >>>>>> Andrew Birch >>>>>> Blackwater Lake - near Hackensack, MN >>>>>> -- >>>>>> MNLEP <http://groups.google.com/group/mnlep> - A list for Butterfly >>>>>> Enthusiasts in Minnesota >>>>>> -- >>>>>> Blackwater Birds <http://blackwaterbirder.blogspot.com/> - My >>>>>> personal >>>>>> birding / nature blog >>>>>> -- >>>>>> "Birding is something that we do for enjoyment; so if you enjoy it, >>>>>> >>>>> you're a >>>>> >>>>>> good birder. If you enjoy it a lot, you're a great birder." - Kenn >>>>>> >>>>> Kaufman >>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> ---- >>>>>> Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >>>>>> Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>> ---- >>>> Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >>>> Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >>>> >>> >>> >> > ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
